In the real estate industry, a need exists for controlled access to homes for sale that is both flexible to serve the real estate professional and secure for the homeowner's peace of mind. The traditional method has been the use of a key safe or a lock box that attaches to the homeowner's doorknob and contains the dwelling key. Many conventional designs ranging from mechanical to electronic have been used over the years to provide this functionality. Homeowners prefer electronic systems because, unlike their mechanical counterparts, the electronic systems offer greater security and control over who has access to the dwelling key, and further offers the ability to track accesses to the secure compartment that holds the key.
One challenge in previous designs has been the lack of control of the lock box contents. Homeowners have expressed a concern that a key will be lost, stolen, or copied by an unscrupulous person. Previous electronic lock box systems have addressed many aspects of logging the identity of who has accessed the contents (e.g., a key) of the lock box, but none has addressed the need for determining whether the contents were returned and the key compartment secured.
Advances in electronics in the field of radio frequency identification (RFID) and infrared (IR) communications have now provided an available means to develop a cost-effective solution to the deficiencies of existing lock box technology, thereby improving security and peace of mind.